Stars
by letschangetheworld
Summary: Theresa and Archie sit down to have a revealing conversation, not to mention an enlightening one. Short drabble, A/A and J/T.


Very short, A/A and J/T. Nothing is mine.

* * *

"I'm going to count all of the stars one day."

Archie sincerely doubts she's serious, but nevertheless he looks at her. "You think you're going to have the time? There are a whole lot of stars, you know."

"I know." Theresa tilts her head up towards the darkened heavens. "But I'll make time. You have to make time for the things you want."

Archie wishes Theresa wasn't looking at him with that look in her eyes because it's unnerving and very irritating. She doesn't just mean little quirky things, like counting stars. She's referring to people too.

They're sitting together on the steps leading up to the front door of the Brownstone. Archie's original reason for coming outside in the first place was to take out the trash, but when Theresa returned from a run they had sat themselves down to enjoy the calm, beautiful night air.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Archie asks, breaking the silence between them.

A scoff and Theresa plunks her chin down in the palm of one her hands, resting that elbow on her bent knee. "Plotting Cronus' ultimate demise. Finishing homework. Reading a sailing magazine. I don't know. He didn't want to go for a run, so.."

"Do you love him?"

Theresa wishes Archie wasn't so blunt. "Is that even any of your business?" She asks him suspiciously.

"Is Atlanta and my relationship any of yours?"

"Touché," Theresa mutters, before looking up at the sky again. "I don't know."

"You don't know? How can you not know?"

"I don't know how I don't know." _Excellent answer, _she tells herself. Quality response.

"You know he loves _you_, right?" Archie leans back on the stairs, putting his hands on the step above the one he's seated on. He oozes confidence and is wearing such a cocky grin that Theresa is both alarmed and intrigued.

She shifts a little in interest. "Has he told you this?"

"No."

Boys are _stupid_.

"I hate you," Theresa huffs, her hope plummeting to the ground with her self esteem. "I'm not sailing and I'm not the ultimate way to defeat Cronus. I'm just Theresa, I've always just been Theresa."

Archie cocks an eyebrow. "You give Jay very little credit."

"Enough." Theresa shakes her head, exhaling noisily and shifting again. "Do you love Atlanta?"

The conversations whirls around in another direction and Archie is anything but ready. A red hue appears to his cheeks. "Of course not, we're not even going out like you and Jay are."

"Yet," She innocently reminds him. "Look, Arch. Let me give you some advice."

Archie wishes she wouldn't, but straightens up, looking expectantly at the girl next to him as she clears her throat.

"Make a move."

Archie starts laughing at the ridiculousness of this all, but Theresa carries on without a second hesitation towards Archie's amusement.

"We're going to defeat Cronus and the group is going to break up, it's only inevitable! Do you want Atlanta disappearing without knowing how you feel about her? How you've always felt about her?"

Archie knows this is true as he's often imagined this exact scenario. The answer is foggy to him, though. How can telling one simple girl how you truly feel be so difficult? He wants this to be easier, for some sort of sign to appear in front of him telling him how or even how to push past his feelings.

Girls are _stupid_.

Stupid but so loveable and addicting that Archie wants to dig himself into a hole and never come out.

"Do you.. do you know how she feels about me?"

"She certainly doesn't hate you, I know that." Theresa notices the ashen expression on Archie's face; he was expecting her to know more. "I'm sorry, Arch. We only talked about.. well, Pan."

"Shut up right now if you know what's good for you."

A laugh. "Remember how she refused to stay with him? Remember how she came back, came back to you?"

"Means nothing," Archie dismisses immediately. "Only meant she knows how important beating Cronus is."

Theresa officially gives up. It's like talking to a wall. Instead, she inclines her head upwards again. "I am really going to count all the stars, you know. Just to show you."

"You gunna tell Jay you love him too?"

"Only if you tell Atlanta how you really feel."

Archie frowns. "You play this game very well, you know that?"

"I try." Theresa shrugs. "Deal?"

She's offering her hand to him but it's awkward for her since they are sitting side by side. Archie stares down at the hand for a second, his brain telling him to simply slap it away but his heart telling him to shake it vigorously.

Finally, Archie grasps her hand and shakes it just a little. He's offically terrified and hopes by tomorrow Theresa will have forgotten they ever had this conversation.

"Deal."

* * *

I know this is stupid and random, but it just popped into my head. I imagine these two will get closer, friendship wise. Anyways, it's bad and it's rushed but review?


End file.
